Sustainable Finance
Meiji Holdings issued sustainability bonds* (10th series of unsecured corporate bonds) through a public offering on Japanese markets in April 2021.
As food and health professionals, we strive to create new value and contribute through our business activities and environmental initiatives to the realization of a future society where all people can lead happy, healthy lives.
In the Meiji Group 2026 Vision, we position contributions to solving societal problems as one of our core policies. We drafted the Meiji Group Sustainability 2026 Vision to outline specific policies towards achieving this goal, and we are continuing to work towards its realization.
Additionally, we outlined Meiji Green Engagement for 2050, our long-term environmental vision, in March 2021. We will collaborate with various stakeholders in four activity domains: Climate Change, Water Resources, Circular Economy, and Pollution Prevention, and our employees will proactively engage in activities that contribute to realizing a sustainable global environment.
We are actively making use of sustainable finance, based on the sustainability finance framework we set out in January 2021, to secure the capital necessary for realizing these visions of maximizing our contributions to solving societal problems.
Sustainability Bonds Outline
| Name | Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd.'s 10th series of unsecured corporate bonds (Limited inter-bond pari passu rider) (Sustainability Bonds) |
|---|---|
| Maturity: | 5 years |
| Issue amount: | JPY 10.0 billion |
| Coupon rate: | 0.050% |
| Issue date: | Friday, April 23, 2021 |
| Use of proceeds: |
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| Bond rating | AA- (Japan Credit Rating Agency, Ltd.) |
| Lead managers | Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., Daiwa Securities Co., Ltd. |
| Structuring agent* | Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. |
Third-Party Assessment of Framework and Eligibility
For the purposes of issuing sustainability bonds, Meiji Holdings established a sustainable finance framework.* Upon its establishment, it received the highest possible rank (SU1(F)) from the third-party organization, Japan Credit Rating Agency.
Reporting
We annually disclose the fund allocation status reporting and the impact reporting until all raised funds allocated to applicable projects.
Allocation Status Reporting（As of March 2022）
| Theme | Applicable project | Allocations (JPY 100 million) |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Procurement | Sustainable cocoa bean procurement | 14.7 |
| Caring for the Earth | Energy efficiency and energy creation at domestic and overseas plants | 3.6 |
| Securing and conserving domestic and overseas water resources | 7.5 | |
| Switching to environmentally friendly packaging (plastic – paper) | 4.3 | |
| Healthier Lives | Capital investments and R&D for initiatives related to infant nutrition (General infant formulas and special formulas) | 22.9 |
| R&D and capital investments in infectious disease prevention | 4.3 | |
| Total | 57.3 | |
Impact Reporting（As of March 2022）
| Applicable project | Impact Reporting | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Output (Project Progress and Results) |
Outcome (Effects Related to Issue Resolutions) |
Impact (Effects Arising From Outcome) |
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| Sustainable cocoa bean procurement |
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| Energy efficiency and energy creation at domestic and overseas plants |
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| Securing and conserving domestic and overseas water resources |
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| Switching to environmentally friendly packaging (plastic – paper) |
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| Capital investments and R&D for initiatives related to infant nutrition (General infant formulas and special formulas) |
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| R&D and capital investments in infectious disease prevention |
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We obtained a review from the Japan Credit Rating Agency to assess the conformity of this reporting with our sustainability finance framework.
Review by the Japan Credit Rating Agency